The "Windy City" Airchecks Collection
Tim Benko, 1996 
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Tim Benko of "Windy City" Airchecks archived the airwaves of Chicago radio for 25 years. Among his massive collection of airchecks are the gems you will find here. Tim said he never worked in radio, but he was always intrigued by the media. He found the Repository days after we went online and immediately became a major contributor. The success of this site is directly related to Tim's early and overwhelming willingness to share. He loved these old recordings of radio stations as much as anyone.
Unexpectedly, Tim passed away at the age of 51, between Christmas 1998 and New Years Day, 1999. Tim was so generous that we still have some of his contributions yet to go online. We miss you, Tim! Tim said his collection was more hobby than business, but it was serious enough that Uncle Ricky received a prized "MONITORING DIVISION" beverage mug, along with a mountain of nostalgic oxide and a list of goodies that very likely represents THE ultimate collection of Chicago airchecks from 1973 to the present. Part of the debut offering for this collection was notable for the delivery medium and content: Kris Erik Stevens on WLS and WCFL, on authentic analog 1/4" reel-to-reel tape. While it's difficult to beat 400 feet of acetate excellence - Tim and "Windy City" contributed so much more! Tim, we thank you! |
Scoped
This Gary Spears aircheck is from the 96 NOW phase of WBBM-FM, a Mike Joseph Hot Hits formatted station.
Spears left WBBM-FM for New York City and WAPP-FM in late 1984. He made a return trip to the Windy City, once again on ‘BBM-FM. He also worked at WKQX-FM, Chicago.
He made stops in Washington, D.C., New Orleans, San Diego and Los Angeles.
Scoped
Here’s John Records Landecker on his first day in afternoon drive on WLS. It’s 19 degrees, the Transit Authority is on strike, and he jokes that “after 8 years, I finally got day work”. Included: the Christmas Wish contest, a Seasons Greetings jingle, and Dick Orkin as a Sugar Plum for The Gap.
Landecker replaced Bob Sirott. Sirrott was sitting out his non-compete clause before beginning AM drive on WCRK-FM (ex WDAI-FM) a few months later.
Thankfully, this is The Enormous 89 playing real Top 40  a mix of pop, R&B and rock! The inevitable paranoia over disco music had yet to take its toll, and compared to the faux AOR heard in Landecker’s farewell airchecks from 1981 (below), this one is right on target.
Update: December 13, 2009 – the unscoped version. Tim’s original tape was noisy and warbly at the beginning of side 1 but improves. REELRADIO will be forever grateful for Tim’s generosity.
Super-smooth Bob Dearborn hosts the last hour of his final show on Super CFL, March 15, 1976, just prior to Larry Lujack’s Super CFL Top 40 finale.
The late Tim Benko wrote Uncle Ricky about this aircheck in April of 1998:
“One of those moments where if you heard this while drinking in a bar, you’d buy a round for the entire place.”
Included: spots for WLS and WDAI, both hoping to claim some of the WCFL audience.
Scoped
Channell came back to Chicago and hooked on with a ‘Mom ‘n’ Pop’ outlet in the Chicago suburbs. Later, when WCFL went to a religious format, Jim Channell was their PD and also did PM drive. After ‘CFL was sold to the folks at Evergreen Broadcasting (it’s now All-Sports WMVP), Channell set up shop in the suburbs and started to run his gospel syndication service.
(Years later) I taped his gospel countdown show (on WYLL-FM Des Plaines) to get an address for him. It turned out to be a P.O. Box in Fort Meyers, Florida, so I sent a letter to Mr. Channell asking for an aircheck of the gospel countdown. I eventually received the tape, six months later – along with a note from “The Captain” asking for a donation to his ministry!”
No aircheck collection of Chicago radio would be complete without the great Larry Lujack, a staple for years on Windy City Top 40 Legends WLS and WCFL.
This was our first Larry Lujack exhibit, originally published as a ‘scoped (only) exhibit on May 19, 1996. Larry Lujack died of esophageal cancer on December 18, 2013. He was 73.
This is authentic, off-the-air stuff; You can tell, because ‘CFL was still runnin’ that reverb…
Scoped
(Aircheck courtesy Tom Konard’s Aircheck Factory.)
Scoped
This ‘check was the first of several provided courtesy of Tom Konard’s Aircheck Factory, through the diplomatic efforts of the late Tim Benko at “Windy City” Airchecks.
Tim’s contribution, published on October 20, 1996, was ‘scoped, and included only the first 30 minutes. This is the original, full-length “line-check” from Tom, who wrote that this was one of the airchecks he saved while at WCFL. Tom, who is internationally known for his huge collection of radio on cassette, can be reached at Yesterdial. Thank You, Tom!
For me, the highlight of this Larry O’ Brien aircheck (from 7-8:10 PM, April 21, 1971) are the great TM jingles, with that beautiful, ballsy vocal group with the bass guy mixed up-front. I was told once that if you wanted sound like this, tell ’em to write it open. It’s onehelluva powerful vocal mix – and I thought it was perfectly matched to The Big 10.
This ‘check was the first of several provided courtesy of Tom Konard’s Aircheck Factory, through the diplomatic efforts of the late Tim Benko at “Windy City” Airchecks.
Tim’s contribution, published on October 20, 1996, was ‘scoped, and included only the first 30 minutes. This is the original, full-length “line-check” from Tom, who wrote that this was one of the airchecks he saved while at WCFL. Tom, who is internationally known for his huge collection of radio on cassette, can be reached at Yesterdial. Thank You, Tom!
For me, the highlight of this Larry O’ Brien aircheck (from 7-8:10 PM, April 21, 1971) are the great TM jingles, with that beautiful, ballsy vocal group with the bass guy mixed up-front. I was told once that if you wanted sound like this, tell ’em to write it open. It’s onehelluva powerful vocal mix – and I thought it was perfectly matched to The Big 10.
In the Fall of 1996, Tim Benko contacted Dick Orkin of Dick Orkin’s Radio Ranch and arranged to have a few CHICKENMAN episodes sent to REELRADIO.
Dick Orkin first created the Chickenman series for WCFL, Chicago, in 1967, at the urging of Program Director Ken Draper. A regular feature on Jim Runyon’s morning show, Runyon was the series Announcer; Traffic Reporter Jane Roberts was Ms. Helfinger and the Masked Mother, and Orkin himself played the Police Commissioner and Our Hero, Chickenman. Since the 70’s, the Chickenman series has been heard on more than 1500 U.S. radio stations, as well as overseas.Orkin’s unique and very funny radio advertising has earned him more than 165 Advertising and Radio awards. I’m happy to say that the old bird himself gave the go-ahead to include these prime cuts of chicken in the Windy City Airchicks collection. Thank You, Dick and Thank You, Tim!
Tim Benko passed away at the age of 51, between Christmas 1998 and New Years Day, 1999. Dick Orkin was 84 when he passed away on December 24, 2017.
In the Fall of 1996, Tim Benko contacted Dick Orkin of Dick Orkin’s Radio Ranch and arranged to have a few CHICKENMAN episodes sent to REELRADIO.
Dick Orkin first created the Chickenman series for WCFL, Chicago, in 1967, at the urging of Program Director Ken Draper. A regular feature on Jim Runyon’s morning show, Runyon was the series Announcer; Traffic Reporter Jane Roberts was Ms. Helfinger and the Masked Mother, and Orkin himself played the Police Commissioner and Our Hero, Chickenman. Since the 70’s, the Chickenman series has been heard on more than 1500 U.S. radio stations, as well as overseas.Orkin’s unique and very funny radio advertising has earned him more than 165 Advertising and Radio awards. I’m happy to say that the old bird himself gave the go-ahead to include these prime cuts of chicken in the Windy City Airchicks collection. Thank You, Dick and Thank You, Tim!
Tim Benko passed away at the age of 51, between Christmas 1998 and New Years Day, 1999. Dick Orkin was 84 when he passed away on December 24, 2017.